Quedius lanei Hatch, 1957

Hansen, Aslak Kappel, Brunke, Adam, Simonsen, Thomas & Solodovnikov, Alexey, 2022, Revision of Quedius sensu stricto (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (Acta. Ent. Mus. Natl. Pragae) 62 (1), pp. 225-299 : 276-278

Quedius lanei Hatch, 1957

( Fig. 1 , 4 , 5 , 10B , 16D , 17 , 21 )

Quedius lanei Hatch, 1957: 216 [Type locality: Washington: Blue Mts.]

References. KඈඋGൾ (1962b): 333 (characters and notes); Sආൾඍൺඇൺ (1971a): 144 (characters and distribution); (1976a): 174 (distribution).

Material examined. USA: Cൺඅංൿඈඋඇංൺ: Fresno County, Huntington Lake, [37.24, -119.18], 25.IV.1960, leg. L. G. Ingles (2 CNC); Lassen National Park,Summit Lake, [40.49, -121.42], 2042 m, 15.VII.1979, J. M. & B.A. Campbell (3 CNC). Nൾඏൺൽൺ: Lake Tahoe, Zephyr Cove, [39.01, -119.94], 1889 m, 9.XII.1986, leg.A.Smetana (1 CNC). OඋൾGඈඇ: 16 mi NE Bly Deming Creek Road, [42.55, -120.76], 1828 m, 21.VII.1979, leg. J. M. Campbell & J. Schuh (3 CNC); Grant County, Strawberry Range, Strawberry Lake, [44.3, -118.68], 1920 m, 4.VI.1989, leg. A. Smetana (20 CNC); Klamath County, Gearhart Mountain, [42.51, -120.86], 2194 m, 24.VI.1974, leg.A. & D. Smetana (1 CNC); Klamath County, Mare’s Egg Springs, 7.3 mi SW Fort Klamath, [42.66, -122.08], 25.VI.1974, leg. A. & D. Smetana (2 CNC); Union County, Blue Mountain Road 62, Jarboe Creek, [45.80, -117.85], 1200 m, 29.V.1989, leg. A. Smetana (1 CNC). WൺඌHංඇGඍඈඇ: Blue Mountain, [45.5, -118], 914 m, 29.VIII.1923, leg. M. C. Lane (1 CNC).

Redescription. Measurements JJ (n = 3): HW = 1.56– 1.78 (1.63); HL = 1.33–1.49 (1.39); HL/HW 0.84–0.87 (0.86); PW = 2.04–2.22 (2.11); PL = 1.80–2.00 (1.87); PL/PW 0.88–0.90 (0.89); EW = 2.16–2.29 (2.20); EL = 2.02–2.11 (2.06); EL/EW 0.92–0.95 (0.94); EL/PL 1.06– 1.14 (1.10); PW/HW 1.49–1.53 (1.52); forebody length 5.18–5.60 (5.33). ♀♀ (n = 6): HW = 1.53–1.73 (1.64); HL = 1.27–1.40 (1.35); HL/HW 0.77–0.86 (0.82); PW = 1.96–2.29 (2.09); PL = 1.73–2.00 (1.85); PL/PW 0.87–0.91 (0.89); EW = 2.00–2.44 (2.18); EL = 1.93–2.29 (2.07); EL/EW 0.92–1.02 (0.95); EL/PL 1.09–1.18 (1.12); PW/ HW 1.46–1.63 (1.55); forebody length 4.98–5.69 (5.27).

Medium sized species; body dark brown to black ( Fig. 10B ).

Head black, distinctly transverse with eyes medium sized (EyL/TL = 1.81–2.14 (1.99)), microsculpture of transverse waves, with two interocular punctures between anterior frontal punctures ( Fig. 6G ); antennae and palpi dark with joints pale reddish, all antennomeres elongate, except last and penultimate antennomere almost transverse.

Thorax: pronotum black, slightly wider than long, clearly wider than head, with microsculpture of transverse waves, three punctures in dorsal row and one to two in sublateral row with its posteriormost puncture reaching just beyond level of first puncture of dorsal row; scutellum sparsely punctured and pubescent; elytra variable in coloration, from all black or reddish brown to occasionally dark with reddish sutural margins, uniformly pubescent, punctures clearly separated, quadrate or slightly wider than long, slightly longer than pronotum; legs reddish brown with inner face of tibia and inner surface of femur darkened and tarsi paler.

Abdomen dark brown to black, tergites uniformly punctured, with clear iridescence.

Male. Aedeagus ( Figs 16D , 17 ): paramere lanceolate, rather broad, without clear basal attenuation, extending to apex of median lobe, with small sensory peg setae forming two irregular rows meeting in an irregular cluster below apex; median lobe lanceolate, broad, with sides slightly constricting until abrupt constriction near pointed apex, on parameral side with two blunt teeth simply protruding inward and slightly basad; internal sac with two larger oval and two smaller rounder sclerites.

Differential diagnosis. Quedius lanei can be distinguished from Q. laticollis and Q. strenuus by the presence of two additional setiferous punctures between the anterior frontal punctures. It can be distinguished from Q. labradorensis by the darker body and the clearly darkened basal three antennomeres. It can be distinguished from other members of the molochinoides -group ( Q. altanai , Q. horni , and Q. molochinoides ) only by the male genitalia, specifically by the paramere, which is parallel-sided to constricted at base, and the broad median lobe with a constricted apex and two blunt teeth pointing in and downwards. However, Q. lanei does not seem to co-occur with any other species of the molochinoides- group, this fact reducing the need of genitalia investigation in all cases.

Comments. A series of specimens in Sආൾඍൺඇൺ (1971) including one Hatch paratype from Fish Lake in Summerland, British Columbia ascribed to Q. lanei was found to belong to Q. molochinoides . Quedius lanei does not occur in Canada. Paratypes of Q. lanei from Idaho were found to belong to Q. altanai and have thus been moved to this species.

Bionomics. Quedius lanei prefers mountainous areas and occurs only at high elevations with records from roughly 1000 m in the northern part of its range to up to 2200 m in the southern part. Little is known about the prefered habitat of the species, but based on the examined records it seems to be found mainly in wet debris near creeks or mountain lakes. For example, the Oregon specimens from Klamath County were collected by sifting wet moss and deciduous leaf litter (willow) at the edges of fast-running creeks or by sifting wet debris on the bottom of a dried-out pond in a coniferous forest (Sආൾඍൺඇൺ 1976).

Distribution. Quedius lanei is currently known from high elevation sites on the eastern slopes and foothills of Cascades, the Sierra Nevada and the Blue Mountains (ecoregions 6.2.8, 6.2.9 and 6.2.12, Fig. 21 ). It is found from sutheastern Washington through Oregon to much of eastern California and limited areas of western Nevada. In the north it does not seem to extend into the northern part of the Cascades, although based on the ecoregions it may be be present quite far north on the eastern slopes. To the northwest it is replaced by Q. horni . Quedius lanei was formerly considered to also include specimens from central and southern Rockies, but we here show that these belong to a different species Q. altanai described as new herein.

Figures

Fig. 1. Phylogenetic tree of Quedius s. str. based on preliminary target capture molecular dataset of Bඋඎඇĸൾ et al. (2021) and Hൺඇඌൾඇ et al. (in prep). Species groups shown in color. Q. altanai Hansen & Brunke, sp. nov. of the Q. molochinoides-group was not included in the dataset. Habitus sketch is of Q. fuliginosus (Gravenhorst, 1802). Lettering denotes species distribution within their respective groups.

Fig. 4. Phylogeny of Quedius s. str. species based on Bayesian Inference (BI) and Maximum Likelihood (ML) COI barcodes (part 2). BI posterior probabilities (PP), ML ultrafast bootstrap support (UFB) and ML SH-aLRT test are shown. Nodes coloured as: green, PP ≥ 0.90, and either UFB ≥ 95 or SH-aLRT ≥ 80; yellow, one of PP ≥ 0.90, UFB ≥ 95 or SH-aLRT ≥ 80; red, PP <0.90, UFB <95 and SH-aLRT <80.

Fig. 5. Network analysis of Quedius molochinoides-group: Quedius horni Hatch, 1957 (purple), Q. lanei Hatch, 1957 (green), Q. molochinoides-group 1 (dark blue), Q. molochinoides-group 2 (light blue), and Q. molochinoides-group 3 (teal).

Fig. 10. Habitus of Quedius s. str. A – Q. horni Hatch, 1957; B – Q. lanei Hatch, 1957; C – Q. altanai Hansen & Brunke, sp. nov.; D – Q. molochinoides Smetana, 1965 (red elytra variant); E – Q. molochinoides (black elytra variant); F – Q. labradorensis Smetana, 1965.

Fig. 16. Aedeagus of Quedius s. str. A – Q. labradorensis Smetana, 1965; B – Q. horni Hatch, 1957; C – Q. altanai Hansen & Brunke, sp. nov.; D – Q. lanei Hatch, 1957; E – Q. molochinoides Smetana, 1965. I – parameral view of whole aedeagus, II – apices of paramere in antiparameral view with peg setae, III – lateral view of whole aedeagus, IV – apices of median lobe at an angle between parameral and lateral view.

Fig. 17. Variation in genitalic morphology of species from Quedius molochinoides-group.From left to right for each specimen, first paramere then median lobe (parameral view) and lastly median lobe (lateral view) are given. For each specimen locality is noted underneath.

Fig. 21. Distribution of Quedius unicolor Kiesenwetter, 1847 (top),.Q. labradorensis Smetana, 1965 (middle), Quedius molochinoides-group (bottom). Barcoded specimens are denoted with +.

Fig.6. Head and pronotal chaetotaxy of Quedius s. str.A – general scheme; B – Q. curtipennis Bernhauer, 1908, C – Q. fuliginosus (Gravenhorst, 1802); D – Q. levicollis Brullé, 1832; E – Q. afrofuliginosus Gusarov, 1991; F – Q. molochinus- and Q. laticollis-groups; G – Q. molochinoides-group. Abbreviations as follows: anterior frontal puncture (AFP); basal punctures (BP); interocular punctures (IOP); lateral puncture (LP); lateral row (LR); posterior frontal puncture (PFP); parocular punctures (POP); sublateral row (SLR).